formal exploratory committee for a Senate run. There were still possible Republican primary opponents. Rick Lazio, a U.S. Representative representing Suffolk County on Long Island, was raising money and had a candidacy announcement scheduled for August 16; he had openly discussed a primary against Giuliani, believing his more conservative record would be appealing to Republican primary voters. In early August, under pressure from state and national Republican figures, Pataki endorsed Giuliani. Pataki prevailed upon Lazio to forgo his candidacy, which Lazio agreed to despite frustration that Giuliani had still not officially announced that he was running; Lazio said, "If the mayor wants to be a candidate, I think he needs to get into this race. It is time to put the soap opera aside and step up to the plate." Nassau County U.S. Representative Peter T. King also considered running and had raised some funds. U.S. Representative Nita Lowey was the candidate first expected to be the Democratic nominee, while other mentioned possible candidates included Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Cuomo, New York State Comptroller Carl McCall, as well as U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney. State Democratic figures were concerned that neither Lowey nor the others had the star power to rival Giuliani, and that the seat would be lost. Late in 1998, prominent Democratic politicians and advisors, including U.S. Representative Charles Rangel, urged First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to run for the U.S. Senate seat. An unprecedented action if she did it, Clinton spent considerable time mulling over the idea while Lowey waited in the wings. Her political advisors told her the race would be difficult and some of them told her she would lose. She waited for the impeachment proceedings of Bill Clinton to conclude, which they did with his acquittal on February 12, 1999. Early Clinton campaign On February 16, 1999, the First Lady's office announced that she was considering running for the Senate seat. Once it was clear Clinton was going to run, Lowey stepped aside, although she would be disappointed at the lost opportunity. On July 7, 1999, Clinton formally announced an exploratory committee for the Senate run; the setting was Moynihan's farm in Pindars Corners, in rural Delaware County. Bill Clinton was less than enthusiastic about her candidacy. The staging of the event was brokered by the Clintons' political consultant Mandy Grunwald. Hillary Clinton embarked upon a "listening tour" of all parts of